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Make no mistake about it.

What we have witnessed this past week or so are not merely random acts of violence, but rather a planned and executed “insurrection”, pulled off using social media mobilisation and the know-how of former uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operatives.

MK was the ANC’s armed wing during the party’s struggle against the apartheid government.

Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa, speaking to News24, said it’s clear that the instigators of what the government is calling “well-orchestrated economic sabotage” are familiar with how MK operated:

Sources told News24 that intelligence on the unrest that broke out in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng showed the same modus operandi used by the ANC’s former armed wing.

An impeccable source in the intelligence circles told News24:

“The analysis shows that the targeting of water treatment plants, cutting of fuel supplies, disrupting food and medical supplies is typical to MK training. It is our understanding that they are planning to attack the harbour and other places that will cut off food supply next.”

Other intelligence sources said that attacks were also planned on waterworks plants and electrical substations, as well as the Durban home of Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

The former head of the State Security Agency’s (SSA) rogue special operations unit, Thulani Dlomo, remains a prime suspect, with a “well-placed security cluster insider [saying] that all fingers pointed at him and his network of former MK operatives”.

Police Minister Bheki Cele echoed these words, saying what we are seeing goes well beyond simple criminality.

Below via News24 again:

He said the infrastructure would be protected by the army, which had been deployed to assist the police in quelling the violence.

“The key points, one of it if you drive to [Chris Hani Baragwanath] hospital, you realise that we have some extra protection there because this thing of looting is a smokescreen,” Cele said…

The minister said it appeared that crimes against the state were being planned and perpetrated.

Whilst law enforcement and SANDF have come under fire for being slow to react, Cele says they’ve actually prevented a number of attacks that were planned, such as the burning of an unnamed KwaZulu-Natal hospital with people inside, and attacks at Durban Westville prison.

The Daily Maverick uncovered more on exactly how plans to sow unrest and violence were formulated and actioned:

The insurrection was organised on social media once the 12 masterminds had crafted the strategy of chaos, according to senior ANC and intelligence sources who were interviewed by Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity…

The common theory now is that the truck burnings were relatively easy to organise because of the long tail of renegade MK groups (organised in new movements) active in the sector.

From the N3 campaign, the plan was to attack symbols of “White Monopoly Capital”, which explains the looting of warehouses and more than 200 malls. Specific chains were targeted…

[The social media messages] reveal that shutdowns were initially organised in ANC colours and that the release of Zuma is still a key demand. One of the messages tells organisers not to wear ANC colours.

You can see examples of the posters circulated via WhatsApp, Telegram, and various social media channels, via The Daily Maverick’s report.

An entire country, brought to its knees, by those loyal to a man who sold South Africa down the river during his time as president.

To finish, TimesLIVE put together this video, looking “at the past seven days and how the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma ignited one of the worst looting events in recent history”:

[sources:news24&news24&dailymaverick]